Bruce Martin of Goshen, Conn. owns a 1966 Ford Fairlane 500 that he's owned since it was new. He's driven it 55,000 miles in 52 years and keeps it in pristine condition. Except for a new paint job in 1992, it's all original.

The Fairlane has a bench seat. Bud Wilkinson Republican-American

The Fairlane is powered by a 289-cubic-inch, 200-horsepower V8 engine. Bud Wilkinson Republican-American

BY BUD WILKINSON | REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

Bruce Martin of Goshen was simply being practical when he went to Crestwood Ford in Watertown in late 1966 and traded his sporty 1964½ Ford Mustang with bucket seats for a new Ford Fairlane 500 with a bench seat. Married and with a child on the way, he wanted transportation better suited to his family’s changing needs.

The Fairlane was a basic mid-sized model with a 289-cubic-inc, 200-horsepower V8 engine. “It was a nothing car to speak of,” he said of the Fairlane line, recalling that he ordered his black one with power steering but without power brakes. “There was no reason for it. You’re trying to save a nickel and have a new car, which is basically what it’s all about.”

It took almost three months for the car to be delivered “because of tinted glass all around.” It’s also dressed up with flashy hubcaps and chrome molding.

Today, though, the immaculate 1966 Fairlane with vertically stack dual headlights is something special, having only been driven about 55,000 miles in 52 years. It fulfills a desire that Martin had to own an antique car that he traces back decades. “It’s just one of those things. It just happened. I wanted an antique car when I was back in the ’20s, and I could just not afford it, and this is what it ended up being,” he said.

Martin, who recently moved to Goshen after living nearly four decades in Waterbury, is meticulous in preserving the all-original Fairlane (except for getting new paint 26 years ago) and is proud that it’s an original-owner car. He even has the window sticker showing that it cost $2,941.78.

“We never used the car to speak of. It stayed in the garage. It’s never seen snow. It’s never been rotted. It’s never been hit. It’s just one of those things,” he said.

Bruce Martin doesn’t regret trading his 1964½ Ford Mustang for a 1966 Ford Fairlane because “these are not very plentiful,” he said, referring to the two-door model that he’s still driving, albeit sparingly.

The Fairlane is accented by dual exhausts. Bud Wilkinson Republican-American

Martin knows that there are fewer examples of the more pedestrian Fairlane in existence today than Mustangs, and he coddles it. “I do 99 percent of the mechanical work myself – the oil changes, the filters, the gaskets. I’ll change ’em myself. I prefer to do it myself. I just like things to be right and neat and I’ve always been that (way),” he said.

Perhaps surprisingly given its age, the Fairlane isn’t demanding. “I really don’t spend a lot of time on it. I don’t get it caught in the rain. As of today, it’s going back in the bag again,” Martin said earlier this week, explaining that he has a plastic enclosure that has a fan to circulate air and disperse moisture. He adds mothballs inside the bag to deter rodents. He also adds Marvel Mystery Oil to the gas tank.

Except for a repaint, the Fairlane is all original. “We chemically stripped the whole car. This is enamel paint on this car at this point. There’s no clear-coat on this car,” he said.

Power-wise, the Fairlane isn’t in the muscle car class, although Ford did offer GT and GTA (for automatic) versions of the model with a 390-cubc-inch V8. “For 200 horse, it’s excellent. I’m very happy with it,” he said. “It’s very good on gas; get about 21, 22 miles to the gallon with it. I burn regular gas in it.”

Having owned the Fairlane since it was new, Martin has no plans to part with it. “The car’s going to stay in the family. That’s the way I want it. I’ve been offered some serious dollars for this car and I have no intentions of selling,” he said.